PST
320 posts
Oct 13, 2008
5:27 AM
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There is also the question of the type of players being produced.
Former national team coach Hernan Dario Gomez recently complained that "the style of Colombian football has changed a lot, and it's not to my liking. It's a style that looks for tall players, with strength, speed, power and with little talent and ball skills".
"Our old style of possession football is criticised heavily here," he said. "People say you have to be more direct, get the ball forward quickly, you shouldn't pass the ball around so much - and because of this the joy and the talent have finished."
There is much in what he says, though Colombia are not totally without talent. What seems to be lacking is ideas or identity.
Take midfielder Freddy Guarin, now of Porto. He has some ability. But in Saturday's 1-0 defeat at home to Paraguay he was not successful in applying it. Time and time again he tried to make space for his trademark rocket right-foot shot.
It was easily blocked because there was no surprise, or because sufficient space had not been created.
"Forget the goal and look for a team-mate. Keep passing and in the end the goal will appear" - it was the way that Colombia played in the days of Valderrama, and it was beautiful and hypnotic to watch.
Perhaps part of the move away from that short passing style is a reaction to the failure (with tragic consequences for assassinated defender Andres Escobar) of Colombia to live up to their billing in the 1994 World Cup.
Pele had included them among the favourites. They were carrying the hopes of a nation which at the time was tearing itself apart in an orgy of narco-violence. It was all too much for the team to cope with.
Their first-round elimination in USA '94 makes it easy to forget just how good that Colombia side really were. Going into the competition they had suffered one defeat in 34 games - a run which included an extraordinary 5-0 win away to Argentina.
It remains the only time Argentina have been beaten at home in World Cup qualification.
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